Wash boiler



Aug. 10, 1954 C. J. BRENNAN WASH BOILER 2 Sheets-Shemv 1 Filed June 2, 1948 IIIIIIIIIIIII "IIIIIIIIII/IIlIIIIIIIIII/lIIIIIIIIIIIII///II Inventor CHARLES J. REN'NAN 2 d Attorney A 1954 c. J. BRENNAN 2,685,790

WASH BOILER Filed June 2, 194s 2 Sheets sheet 2 w zzze Invent or CHARLES J BRENNAN by fi I torney Patented Aug. 10, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WASH BOILER;

CharIes I. Brennan, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada ApplicationJune .2, 1948, Serial No. 30,581

3 Claims.

This present invention relates to improvements -pending application #785,582, filed November An object of the invention is to provide a steam pressure washing machine having a pulsator plate resting loosely on the bottom thereof designed both to vibrate and emit intermittent surges of steam when the contents of the vessel are brought to the boil.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wash boiler having a valved cover securely locked thereon whereby the pressure in the vessel may be increased with safety.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pressurized pulsator-type wash boiler having a perforated top plate, independent of the valved cover, that may be normally held in place by the locked-on cover but is capable also of being releasably secured in the vessel when said valved cover is removed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a wash boiler of the nature and for thepurpose described that is characterized by structural simplicity, durability, and efficiency and being capable of manufacture at reasonable cost is thereby rendered commercially desirable.

To the accomplishment of these and related 9 objects as shall become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly described when reference is had to the drawings forming a part of this disclosure wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the boiler with the pulsator plate on the bottom shown partly in elevation;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the perforated top plate;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the pulsator plate; and

Figures 4 and 5 are enlarged fragmentary top and bottom plan views thereof, respectively.

This improved steam generating wash boiler may assume a number of various forms and designs but the essence of the invention lies in so fashioning it that the steam or water vapor forming on the bottom of the accommodating vessel is collected or accumulated briefly by a wash-supporting plate resting loosely on the bottom of the vessel and. released into the superposing mass of clothes and hot water in intermittent surges, the plate being simultaneously agitated. Thus without use of a motor driven dolly or other mechanism, a gentle yet rapid, thorough and efficient detergence is obtained without risk of damage to the sheerest or most delicate fabric. Additional to the detergent action of the plate in vibrating agitation and steam surge emissions, the boiler is pressurized by the provision of a gasketed and locked on cover with suitable steam escape valve so that the pressure within the vessel may be raised with beneficial results.

In its preferred form, the wash boiler is seen to'co-mprise a straight-wall, pail-like cylindrical vessel I with aslightly larger open top 2 formed by an exterior flange or outward offset 3 that gives a shoulder seat 4. A removable cover 5 substantially convex on its upper side and downwardly sunk to nest in the mouth of the vessel, affords a closure for the top thereof and to render it leak-proof, a suitable gasket 6 is provided. The cover is locked down with three circumferentially spaced, toggle take-up clamps I attached to the vessel and adapted to hook on over the rim of the cover 5. To prevent the pressure within the boiler exceeding a safe and predetermined pressure, a bleed valve 8 mounted in the cover affords the necessary outlet, being of either the fixed or adjustable type as desired.

Resting on the interior shoulder 4 and normally confined by the depressed, locked-on cover 5 is a perforated top plate 9 having. a central handle [0 and some spaced peripheral notches I I, the latter being to pass correspondingly placed angle keepers [2 extending inwards from the vessels wall just above the shoulder 5. So when the cover 5 is removed this perforated plate 9 may be independently held in the vessel by the keepers 12 against accidental displacement by partially rotating the same. It may thus serve to hold back the wash while draining off the water.

Resting loosely on the bottom of the vessel I and of substantially less diameter than the in terior of the boiler so that it is free to bounce or vibrate therein is the steam-agitated, pulsator plate I5, designed also to emit intermittent surges of steam. This plate, tray or rack l5, supporting the clothes being washed has spaced openings therethrough from steam collecting chambers on its underside. The steam being generated on the bottom of the vessel I is temporarily trapped in these chambers, actually lifting the pulsator and agitating the superposed wash, compressing it between this base plate and the perforated top plate 9. Then as the pent up steam blows off, surging swiftly upwards through the funnelled openings in the plate, it settles back on the bottom while the strong, divergent dirt-loosening currents of steam and water gurgitate up through the clothes being laundered.

The specific pulsator plate 15 here disclosed is a cast aluminum disk with a depending annular skirt or flange [6 near its periphery and a concentric skirt or flange l1 near the center. Radial webs l8, joining these skirts or flanges divide the underside of the plate into a number of segmental shaped chambers I9 encompassing a central round chamber 20. Each chamber has an outlet 2 I located substantially centrally thereof and extending up through the plate with a surrounding; flared or funnel-shaped depending skirt 22, of less depth than the con-centric annular flanges and Webs 16, I! and I8 respectively that divide the bottom of the plate into steam collecting chambers, so that such funnelled outlet skirts or flanges terminate a short distance above or clear of the vessels bottom even when the plate 15 is resting thereon.

The upper side of the plate has flow-directing grooves 23 running more or less at right angles to radial lines from each of the segment outlets 2| to the circumference of the plate and, in the center, a pair of concentric circles 23a and 231) connected by diametrically disposed cross grooves t as at 24.

This light, sturdy form of plate has been found satisfactory, proving very active in use at it vi brates, pitches and tosses and bounces under the intermittent trapping and emitting of the steam.

With the increased pressure and steam-activated pulsator plate, the wash capacity and speed of this boiler are increased substantially enhancing its utility and value.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that a wash boiler is provided that will fulfill all the necessary requirements of such a device but as many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely diiferent embodiments of the invention may be constructed within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the said accompanying pecification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitative or restrictive sense.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A wash boiler for use under elevated steam pressure comprising a vessel, a valved cover securely locked thereon. and a flat-topped, disklike pulsator plate loosely resting on the bottom of said vessel and serving as a clothes supporting platform; said plate having steam trapping formations on its underside with outlets therefrom and designed when steam is generated in said boiler to intermittently emit blasts of trapped steam and to bounce and vibrate vigorously and thoroughly agitate the superimposed clothes.

2. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 1 wherein said vessel has an exteriorly flanged shoulder near its top rim and a perforated top plate resting thereon and secured in place by said locked cover, the clothes superposing said pulsator plate being vigorously compressed against the underside of said perforated top plate on the bouncing of said pulsator plate.

3. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 1 of a perforated wash-confining, top plate releasably secured in the top of said vessel and against the underside of which the clothes supported on said pulsator plate are thrown and compressed on the bouncing of said pulsator plate and wherein said vessel cover is upwardly conveXed spacing it well above said perforated plate and affording ample accommodation for the wa ter squeezed out of the clothes when so com pressed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 121,285 Herr Nov. 28, 1871 217,810 McKinley July 22, 1879 430,486 Rose June 17, 1890 661,431 Tuttle Nov. 6, 1960 762,576 Brobst June 14, 1904 1,062,658 Murphy May 27, 1913 1,223,559 Charlebois et al. Apr. 24, 1917 1,408,864 Collinson Mar. 7, 1922 1,444,043 Slocomb Feb. 6, 1923 1,593,390 Davis July 20, 1926 1,641,681 Kircher Sept' 6, 1927 1,692,563 Murr et al. Nov. 20, 1928 1,819,618 Munters Aug. 18, 1931 1,899,244 Paasche Feb. 28, 1933 1,915,487 Gere June 27, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 661,996 France Mar. 12, 1929 710,973 France June 16, 1931 688,217 Germany Feb. 15, 1940 596,484 Great Britain Jan. 5, 1948 

